Improvement in power-presses



. 2 sheets -shet 1. J- L. LEWIS. Power-Pr ess.

No. 204,158; Patented May 28,1878.

Wwsses 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. L. LEWIS. Power-Pressv No. 204,158. Patented May 28,1878,

E-nII-ErV/ /Z N. PETERS, *FHOTILLITNOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. LEWIS, 0F .PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN POWER-PRE'S'SES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,158, dated May 28,1878; application filed March 22, 1878.

,To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. L. LEWIS, of the city of Pittsburg, county ofAllegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use.

ful Improvement in Power-Presses; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear,

and exact description of same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine arranged for shearing andpunching, the

position being now for shearing. Fig. 2 details the position forpunching. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly sectional, exhibiting thearrangement of drive-shaft, carrier, and plun-;

ger. Fig. 4 is a frontelevation of the plunger with punch and knife.Fig. 5 is a plan view of plunger, with carrier in section. Fig. 6 is arear view of plunger, showing grooves for the presses which are soconstructed as to be capable of use either as a punch, stamp, or shear,the various functions being performed from a common drive-shaft ordriving mechanism. This has been attempted in various'ways to myknowledge, among which are the following: One machine has" anoscillating beam or lever, whose end carries a disk provided atdiiferent points of its periphery with difi'erent tools, the bed or bodyhaving a corresponding disk with dies or other tools, and the metalbeing fed between the upper and lower disk. Thus a punch or stampsecured to the upper disk describes in its stroke a circle, having asits center the fulcrum-pin of the beam or lever, and cannot perform asaccurate work as a reciprocating guided tool moving upon a direct line.

Another form of machine has a vertical plunger or moving head and ahorizontallyrotating tool or die carrier, the various dies or tools onthe horizoi'itally-rotating head being arranged to be brought under andattached to the plunger or moving head, the rotating head carrying bothupper and lower tool. This construction is complicated and veryexpensive when arranged for heavy work, necessitating great weight ofmetal, and resulting in cumbersomeness. v V

Another class of machine isthat in which the change from one kind ofwork to'another is effected merely by changing the dies or other tools.This machine may be said'to consist of body, shaft, and reciprocatingplunger, on immovable guides, the lower end being the working end. Thisform of machine occasions loss of time in changing tools, and is, fromits principle, incapable of widerange of duty. My improvement has inviewsimplicit-y, economy, "strength, and adaptability to the endrequired; and consists in fitting a power-press with a guidedreciprocating plunger or moving head, swiveled at or about its center insuch manner as to swing in a vertical plane, whereby it is capable ofreversal or inclination, and of having imparted to it a reciprocatingmotion while occupying any position with in its range of sweep, so thatits opposite ends, when fitted with proper dies or tools, shall beworking ends, each end carrying its owntool or tools at the same time,and capable of being, at one movement of the operators arm,

brought to work'in connection with loweri dies or tools correspondingwith those in the swiveled head, as the work to be performed mayrequire, or capable of being instantly swung aside without stopping themachine when it is desired to examine or readjust the work.

My invention further consists in the hereinafter-described combinationof the drive-shaft, its eccentric, and the plunger, whereby the plungeris reciprocated while in any position within its range of sweep; also,the combination, with the reversible tool-carrying plunger, of areversible die and shear holder below, as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, my invention more particularly is as follows:

D is the body, of the generaldesign shown, having a circular head, d,and bed d; and fitted so as'to rotate upon the head din a vertical planeis a carrier or face plate, E, the joint uniting the two being adovetail or any other well-known form. 0n the face of the carrier E areguide-pieces or lugs 9, arranged in parallel lines, preferablydovetailed in cross' section, which are fitted in corresponding groovesin the rear of a plunger, A, fitted at one end with a knife, k, and atthe other with apunclnp. Passing horizontally through body D and head dis the drive-shaft F, which extends through carrier E, but beyond ittakes the form of an eccentric or wrist pin, 8, which is journaled inthe box 1, which travels to and fro across the plunger Ain appropriateguideways. By this means the revolution of driveshaft F reciprocates theplunger A, which is guided in a direct line to its work by theguide-pieces g on the carrier E, and such reciprocation will continue,without regard to the position of the plunger, whether it be ver-1ticlal, or swung out to incline, or up to horizon- As all the purposesof such a machine could not be fully effected without some provision forthe ready changing or shifting of the lower tools to accord withthereversal of theplunger, I provide the following: Cast in one pieceare a base-plate, m, and die-holder at, having the die-holding cavity 0in its top, and having on its long side a shear-blade,k. At right anglesto the blade k are slots 4' in the base-plate m, through which, from thebed 61, project bolts It, so that the whole may be adjusted, and thenfastened down by nuts '0. In this way the whole may be reversed byslacking the nuts '0 and lifting the device into the opposite position,it being held firmly for shearing by the flange b on the bed 01.

Motion being given the drive-sh aft, the plunger reciprocates, and, asabove shown, may be used for various purposes without once stopping theshaft or the reciprocation of the plunger; and, while so working, theplunger may at any time be instantly swung out of the way to allowexamination or adjustment of the work under operation. This isparticularly convenient in some jobs which require both shearing andpunching, as, after shearing the edges, the punch can be brought to workin a few seconds, and the job completed.

The mere design of the machine is not of the essence of this invention,nor is the specific construction of theparts-as, for instance, theprecise manner of joining the carrier to the circular head, or of thetools to the plunger, or of guiding the plunger in rectilinear motion,since these are all dependent upon the wishes of the manufacturer oruser, and may be modified by the skilled workman.

I have shown and described what I consider the most preferablearrangement.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. A power'press having a guided reciprocating plunger, swiveled at orabout its center, substantially as described, whereby the plunger can bereversed or swung to any position withoutinterference with itsreciprocation.

2. The combination of a reciprocating plunger, swiveled at or about itscenter, with a face plate or carrier provided with guides upon its facefor the movement of the plunger, and capable of revolution or partialrevolution, substantially as described, and for the purpose of changingthe position of theplunger and of accurately guiding the same.

3. The combinatipn of a guid d and swiveled plunger, A, with andoperated by the eccentric S of the drive-shaft F, and a revolublecarrier, E, through which the said drive-shaft E passes to the plunger,said carrier rotating on the circular head d, substantially asdescribed,

whereby the reciprocation of the plunger is effected while in anyposition it is capable of taking.

4. In a power-press having a reversible reciprocating plunger, providedwith knife and punch, respectively, at its opposite ends, as shown, thecombination, specifically, with the plunger and its tools, of areversible lower tool, consisting of base-plate m n, having diecavity 0and shear-blade k, arranged as described, and adjustably bolted to thebed 61.

JOHN L. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

EDWARD KNEELAND, DAVID H. LENTZ.

